Jere Woolcock joins Terex Cranes North America as training manager

Terex Cranes North America is pleased to announce that Jere Woolcock has joined the Terex team as training manager. Terex Cranes believes that training is an important part of its product support offering. The addition of Woolcock to the team is the first step in strengthening the Terex Cranes North America training program.

Woolcock will be responsible for improving the entire Terex Cranes North America training program. One of his first improvements is the creation and launch of a new series of E-Learning programs. These new programs cover a diverse range of topics including basic hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical and mechanical principles.

Woolcock comes to Terex with 15 years of experience in crane training and a wealth of knowledge in course development and design.

He can be reached at phone no. (910) 332-8570 or via e-mail: jere.woolcock@american-crane.com.

Free membership directory update now available on SC&RA website

The June 30th update to the SC&RA Membership Directory has been posted as a free download in the members-only (SCRA Directory) section of the SC&RA Web site. The document is available in pdf format and includes all new members and any changes to existing listings since the printing of the Directory. A comprehensive update will be posted each month. If you have changes to your listing, please fax to (703) 698-0297. Your changes will be included in the next update.

Manitowoc dealers from W.A. win company’s top awards

Manitowoc awarded its top Grove and Potain distributors in Western Australia at its Asian Dealer Conference held earlier this year in Macau. Both WATM Crane Sales and Services, which sells Grove and Manitowoc cranes, and D&G, the Potain dealer for the region, were recognized as the company’s top dealers in Asia-Pacific.

Gilles Martin, executive vice president of Manitowoc in the Asia-Pacific region, said both D&G and WATM were perfect examples of Manitowoc dealerships.

“I am delighted for both WATM and D&G as both companies have done terrific work in creating market leading positions for Manitowoc in Western Australia,” he said. “Manitowoc has a strong belief that our customers deserve the highest levels of customer service from a local supplier. Both D&G and WATM help us accomplish this perfectly.”

This is the third time that WATM has been named top Grove dealer for Asia-Pacific since it started representing the brand in 2000. Collecting the award on behalf of the company were managing director Frank Lazenby and sales manager Stephen Lazenby.

Celebrating the award for D&G, which was named as Manitowoc’s top dealer in 2007 for its Potain brand in Asia-Pacific. Left to right are: John Stewart, Manitowoc; Dave Hull, Manitowoc; Gilles Martin, Manitowoc; Gino Decesare, D&G; Noel Brennan, Manitowoc; Dave Keating, D&G.

Frank Lazenby said that a strong focus on customer service helped his company achieve its award-winning status.

“Many of our customers are involved in the booming mining business in Western Australia and the levels of service and performance they expect leave no room for error,” he said. “In many ways this has helped us develop our service offering to the high standards we are now able to offer. We achieved Elite status as a Manitowoc Crane Care dealer and that’s something we’re very proud of. With many of our customers our reputation in service and our ability to back up our cranes is a key motivator behind the purchase.”

D&G also has a strong commitment to customer service which has seen it develop a solid customer base. Managing director Gino DeCecesare and operations director Dave Keating were in Macau to receive the award on behalf of the company.

Celebrating the award for WATM Crane Sales and Services, which was named as Manitowoc’s top dealer in 2007 for its Grove brand in Asia-Pacific. Left to right are: Frank Lazenby, WATM; Gilles Martin, Manitowoc; Dave Hull, Manitowoc; Stephen Lazenby, WATM; John Stewart, Manitowoc.

Gino DeCecesare said his customers looked for productivity and the latest technology in their cranes.

“As a company we have grown our customer base by focusing on the latest lifting technology from Potain and maintaining a young rental fleet,” he said. “Perth is a fast-growing city and the high levels of activity mean contractors want the most productive equipment on their jobs backed up with a reliable and consistent service. We are able to offer both and also have the backing of Manitowoc, one of the world’s leading crane producers, Manitowoc.”

WATM is headquartered in Bayswater, Western Australia, while D&G is based in Malaga, Western Australia – both are suburbs of Perth.

HOLT Crane & Equipment named Link-Belt crane distributor in Texas

Brax Snyder, Manager, Worldwide Sales, Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co., announced the appointment of HOLT Crane & Equipment as the authorized Link-Belt crane distributor in 46 selected counties in north, central, and east Texas for sales, service, and parts support for its full crane product line.

HOLT Crane & Equipment is a division of HOLT CAT, a San Antonio, Texas, based company that began operations in 1933 and today, in its 75th year, is the largest Caterpillar equipment dealer in the United States.

“The demand for cranes in the Texas market and our partnership with Link-Belt present incredible opportunity for both organizations" said Dave Harris, HOLT Vice President and General Manager.

HOLT Crane & Equipment will be headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, with branches in Irving and Houston.

"HOLT Crane & Equipment and Link-Belt Cranes create a powerful team," said Snyder. "We could not have asked for a better organization to represent Link-Belt Cranes."

Link-Belt Construction Equipment Company, with headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, is a leader in the design and manufacture of telescopic boom and lattice boom cranes for the construction industry worldwide.

(l-r) Skeeter Collins – Major Accounts Manager, Link-Belt Cranes; Braxton Snyder – Manager, Worldwide Sales, Link-Belt Cranes; Bill Stramer - Vice-President, Marketing, Sales & Customer Support, Link-Belt Cranes; Melvin Porter - CFO/Vice-President Finance, Link-Belt Cranes; Peter M. Holt – CEO, HOLT CAT; Chuck Martz – CEO/President, Link-Belt Cranes; Paul Hensley, Controller, HOLT CAT; Dave Harris – Vice President/General Manager, HOLT CAT.

ARA Foundation awards $34,000 in scholarships for 2008/2009 academic year

All 20 recipients pursuing careers in equipment rental

Twenty students planning futures in the equipment rental industry were awarded a total of $34,000 in scholarships from the ARA Foundation for 2008/2009. The scholarships range from $1,000 to $3,000 each, for recipients who are attending technical/vocational schools, community colleges, undergraduate colleges and graduate schools.

The recipients were selected by the Foundation’s scholarship committee. All Foundation scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, leadership, rental industry involvement, written essays on rental-related questions and references. Applicants must be owners, managers or employees of equipment rental stores or their family members. Funds for the scholarships are the direct result of contributions to the ARA Foundation from all facets of the rental industry.

Leroy (Lee) Dixon III of Party Plus, Glen Burnie, MD, was selected for the ARA Foundation/ARA Insurance Services Scholarship of $3,000, the top scholarship award.

He will be a junior at Clemson University and is pursuing a degree in business management and accounting. His father, Leroy Dixon Jr., owns Party Plus.

Recipients of ARA Foundation undergraduate scholarships of $2,000 each are:
• Stefanie Blaisdell, American Party Place and Bunce Rental, Tacoma, WA, owned by John P. Greenfield and Mark Greenfield. Her father, Mike Blaisdell, is general manager of Bunce Rental.
• Coleman Hammond, Rental Solutions, Jackson, GA, owned by his uncle, Richard Kapiloff.
• Machaela Manning, Portland Rent All, Portland, OR, owned by her grandparents, Bill and Delores Manning.
• Jon Pederson, Highway 55 Rental, Hamel, MN, owned by his father, Reg Pederson, and his uncle, Jeff Pederson.
• Lauren Pettinato, Can Do Special Events, Randolph, VT, owned by her parents, John and Patricia Pettinato.
• Ryan Ponikvar, Sun Rental Center, Mentor, OH, owned by his grandfather, Larry Felice, and his great-uncle, Tom Felice.
• Amanda Saunders, Sully’s All Occasion, Akron, OH, owned by her father, Rick Saunders.
• Louise Serpa, Bel-Ayre Rentals, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, owned by her father, Carlos Serpa.
• Adam Sims, Urban Rental Co., Taylorville, Ill., owned by Pat Kretzer.
• Jennifer Thomas, Magic Special Events, Richmond, Va., owned by her father, Woodward Thomas.

Recipients of the Foundation’s technical/vocational scholarships worth $1,000 are:
• Robert Itule, TRS Equipment Sales and Rental, Tucson, AZ, owned by Ray Eaton.
• Matthew Jones, Jones Equipment Rental, Fort Gratiot, MI., owned by his father, Michael Jones.
• Spenser Joy, Volvo Rents, Springfield, MO, owned by his uncle and aunt, Duwayne and Jackie Eoff.
• Kyle Landua, U-Rent-It Sales and Service, Terrell, TX, owned by his grandfather, David Landua.
• Trevor Matthew, Taylor Rental Center, Petoskey, MI, owned by his grandparents, Jake and Diana Bishop.
• Christopher McQuaid, Optimum Equipment d/b/a U-Rent-It, Quincy, MA, owned by Mike Matthies.
• Shane Valliere, Taylor Rental Center, Petoskey, MI, owned by his grandparents, Jake and Diana Bishop.

This year, for the first time, the Foundation awarded two graduate school scholarships of $2,000 each. Those recipients are:
• Jessica Farmer, Rainbow Rentals, Phoenix, AZ, owned by her grandmother, Nora Semon. She will complete a master’s degree in communications studies at Arizona State University in December.
• Jay Spencer, RSC Equipment Rentals, Freeport, TX. He is pursing a master of business administration degree at the University of Houston.

The ARA Foundation also administers four additional scholarships for affiliated rental organizations. Those recipients are:
$500 ARA Region Two/Ron Marshall Scholarship
• Jennifer Thomas, who also received a Foundation undergraduate scholarship.

$1,000 ARA Region 10/Dorothy Wellnitz Scholarship
• Louise Serpa, who also received a Foundation undergraduate scholarship.

$750 ARA of Ohio Scholarships
• Brittany Fike, Let’s Entertain, Cleveland, owned by her parents, Dan and Karen Fike.
• Jennifer Maslyn, A-1 Amusement and Party Rental Center, Cincinnati, owned by her father, Don Maslyn.
• Ryan Ponikvar, who also received a Foundation undergraduate scholarship.
• Amanda Saunders, who also received a Foundation undergraduate scholarship.
• Kevin Saunders, Sully’s All Occasion, Akron, owned by his father, Rick Saunders.
• Nicole Walsh, A Thru Z Tool and Party Supply Rental, Toledo, owned by her mother, Geriann Walsh, and her uncle, Howard Hochmuth.

$1,000 Texas Rental Association Scholarships
These scholarships are being awarded for the first time.
• Collin Dannemiller, Taylor Rental Center, Plano, owned by his uncle, Mark Mancill.
• Amanda Jenkins, Dallas Party Tent and Event, Grand Prairie, owned by her father, Brian Jenkins.
• Jennifer King, King’s Party Rentals, Victoria, owned by her parents, Charley and Lynda King.
• Kyle Landua, who also received a Foundation technical/vocational scholarship.
• Tasha Peavy, U-Rent-It Sales and Service, Terrell, owned by David Landua.

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